Clifford Anderson had 13 kills and Alec Smyth added 10 on the outside as the Santa Barbara High boys volleyball team swept Royal in its traditional season-opener against the Highlanders, 26-24, 25-21, 25-14.
Setting was the biggest question mark for the Dons heading into the match, but coach Chad Arneson said that Blake Williams and Casey Slaught did a nice job distributing the ball while running a 6-2 offense.
“We’re young, but I was pleased with how they played in our first match,” said Arneson, who’s entering his fifth season as head coach.
He has yet to lose a Channel League game, but he’s not looking too far ahead this year.
“We can’t worry about that. We just need to see how we progress in each match and focus on getting better,” he said.
Due to Friday’s big soccer match, the Dons will host Santa Ynez with a 5 p.m. start time on Friday.
